Sunday, March 31, 2013

This is the second in a series of posts that examine the context of Heber J. Grant's 1931 comment about science:

"Upon the fundamental doctrines of the Church we are all agreed. Our mission is to bear the message of the restored gospel to the world. Leave geology, biology, archaeology, and anthropology, no one of which has to do with the salvation of the souls of mankind, to scientific research, while we magnify our calling in the realm of the Church."

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, doctrine is established and major decisions are made by fifteen men, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

"With divine inspiration, the First Presidency (the prophet and his two counselors) and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (the second-highest governing body of the Church) counsel together to establish doctrine that is consistently proclaimed in official Church publications." (LDS Newsroom, May 2007.)

"The First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles, called and ordained to hold the keys of the priesthood, have the authority and responsibility to govern the Church, to administer its ordinances, to expound its doctrine, and to establish and maintain its practices. Each man who is ordained an Apostle and sustained a member of the Council of the Twelve is sustained as a prophet, seer, and revelator." (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, pp.77 & 84.)

These two quorums, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, function on the principle of making unanimous decisions.

John A. Widtsoe was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve from 1921 until his death in 1952. In 1939, he wrote about the requirement for unanimity in the presiding quorums of the Church:

"The Rule of Unanimity. In trying all matters of doctrine, to make a decision valid, it is necessary to obtain a unanimous voice, faith and decision. In the capacity of a quorum, the three First Presidents must be one in their voice; the Twelve Apostles must be unanimous in their voice, to obtain a righteous decision upon any matter that may come before them, as you may read in the Doctrine and Covenants. Whenever you see these quorums unanimous in their declaration, you may set it down as true....

"The Significance of Unity in Decisions and Their Subsequent Administration. And every decision made by ... these quorums must be by the unanimous voice of the same; that is, every member in each quorum must be agreed to its decisions, in order to make their decisions of the same power or validity one with the other—a majority may form a quorum when circumstances render it impossible to be otherwise. Unless this is the case, their decisions are not entitled to the same blessings which the decisions of a quorum of three presidents were anciently.... The decisions of these quorums, or either of them, are to be made in all righteousness, in holiness, and lowliness of heart, meekness and long-suffering, and in faith, and virtue, and knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity.... And in case that any decision of these quorums is made in unrighteousness, it may be brought before a general assembly of the several quorums, which constitute the spiritual authorities of the Church; otherwise there can be no appeal from their decision.—D&C 107:27-32." (Priesthood and Church Government, 1939, pp. 97 & 189.)

Stephen L. Richards was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve from 1917 until his death in 1959. In 1938, he spoke in general conference about the way decisions are made in the presiding quorums of the Church. James E. Faust quoted the following from Stephen L. Richards in an Ensign First Presidency Message.

"They [the First Presidency] are the supreme court here on earth in the interpretation of God's law.

"In the exercise of their functions and delegated powers they are controlled by a constitution, a part of which is written and a part of which is not. The written part consists in authenticated scripture, ancient and modern, and in the recorded utterances of our latter-day prophets. The unwritten part is the spirit of revelation and divine inspiration which are appertinent to their calling.

"In formulating their interpretations and decisions they always confer with the Council of the Twelve Apostles who by revelation are appointed to assist and act with them in the government of the Church. When, therefore, a judgment is reached and proclaimed by these officers it becomes binding upon all members of the Church, individual views to the contrary notwithstanding. God's Kingdom is a kingdom of law and order." (Ensign, Aug. 1996.)

Other apostles have also talked about the need for unanimity in the presiding quorums of the Church. Gordon B. Hinckley, for example, said, "If there is a lack of unity, there follows an absence of action." (Ensign, Nov. 1990.)

James E. Faust said this about the decisions made by prophets, seers, and revelators:

"How, then, one might ask, can we be so sure that, as promised, the prophets, seers, and revelators will never lead the people astray? One answer is contained in the grand principle found in the 107th section of the Doctrine and Covenants:

"'And every decision made by either of these quorums must be by the unanimous voice of the same....

"'The decisions of these quorums, or either of them, are to be made in all righteousness, in holiness, and lowliness of heart, meekness and long suffering, and in faith, and virtue, and knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity;

"'Because the promise is, if these things abound in them they shall not be unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord' (D&C 107:27, 30–31).

"The requirement of unanimity provides a check on bias and personal idiosyncrasies. It ensures that God rules through the Spirit, not man through majority or compromise. It ensures that the best wisdom and experience are focused on an issue before the deep, unassailable impressions of revealed direction are received. It guards against the foibles of man." (Ensign, Aug. 1996.)

On another occasion, James E. Faust explained that there is no "loyal opposition" in the presiding quorums of the Church:

"In some legislative assemblies of the world, there are some groups termed the 'loyal opposition.' I find no such principle in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Savior gave us this solemn warning: 'Be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine' (D&C 38:27). The Lord made it clear that in the presiding quorums every decision 'must be by the unanimous voice of the same; that is, every member in each quorum must be agreed to its decisions' (D&C 107:27). This means that after frank and open discussion decisions are reached in council under the direction of the presiding officer, who has the ultimate authority to decide. That decision is then sustained, because our unity comes from full agreement with righteous principles and general response to the operation of the Spirit of God." (Ensign, Nov. 1993.)

The requirement for unanimity in the decisions of the presiding quorums of the Church was given by the Lord to Joseph Smith in March 1835. According to John A. Widtsoe, this pattern was being scrupulously followed 100 years later. Even today, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve work on the principle of making unanimous decisions.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

This is the first in a series of posts that will examine the context of Heber J. Grant's 1931 comment about science:

"Upon the fundamental doctrines of the Church we are all agreed. Our mission is to bear the message of the restored gospel to the world. Leave geology, biology, archaeology, and anthropology, no one of which has to do with the salvation of the souls of mankind, to scientific research, while we magnify our calling in the realm of the Church."

Some of my blogging friends understand the above statement very differently than I do. That's because the statement is ambiguous, similar to the classic ambiguous illustrations below. Look at them. Do you see a white vase or two faces looking at one another? Do you see a young girl or an old woman?

Now consider these statements:

• I saw her duck. (Did she lower her head quickly, or does she own a duck?)

• They fed her dog meat. (Did she eat dog meat, or did her dog eat meat?)

The ambiguity in statements like these is resolved by learning more about what was happening at the time. Context brings clarity.

Does Heber J. Grant's comment about science mean, "We preach the gospel and we don't preach science?" or does it mean "We preach the gospel and we don't preach against science?" In the next few posts, we will examine the circumstances surrounding Grant's comment. With enough context, we should be able to see clearly what Heber J. Grant meant.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

"As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be." (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow, 2011.) Below are a few examples of current Church teachings that place the first half of Lorenzo Snow's couplet squarely within the LDS gospel. Notice that the sources are all published in the 21st century and they are all Correlation approved.

1.

"God Himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!"

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (2007), 40.

New Era, Feb. 2012.

Liahona, Feb. 2012.

Doctrines of the Gospel Teacher Manual, (2011).

Book of Mormon Teacher Resource Manual, (2004).

Presidents of the Church Student Manual, (2004).

Old Testament Teacher Resource Manual, (2003).

Church History In The Fulness Of Times Student Manual, (2003).

New Testament Teacher Resource Manual, (2002).

Doctrine and Covenants and Church History Seminary Teacher Resource Manual, (2001).

2.

"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man. … If the veil were rent today, … if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man. …

"… It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God, and to know that we may converse with him as one man converses with another, and that he was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself did."

Doctrines of the Gospel Student Manual, (2000).

3.

Many religions teach that human beings are children of God, but often their conception of Him precludes any kind of bond resembling a parent-child relationship. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught of a much simpler and more sensible relationship: "God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit … was to make himself visible … , you would see him like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed with Him, as one man talks and communes with another."

We are of God’s family. We are His sons and daughters, created in the image of heavenly parents.

Liahona, Jan. 2005.

Ensign, Jan. 2005.

4.

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, basing its belief on divine revelation, ancient and modern, proclaims man to be the direct and lineal offspring of Deity. God Himself is an exalted man, perfected, enthroned, and supreme."

Doctrine and Covenants and Church History Student Study Guide, (2005).

5.

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, basing its belief on divine revelation, ancient and modern, proclaims man to be the direct and lineal offspring of Deity. God Himself is an exalted man, perfected, enthroned, and supreme. …

"Man is the child of God, formed in the divine image and endowed with divine attributes, and even as the infant son of an earthly father and mother is capable in due time of becoming a man, so the undeveloped offspring of celestial parentage is capable, by experience through ages and aeons, of evolving into a God"

Presidents of the Church Teacher Manual Religion 345, (2005).

Ensign, Feb. 2002.

Doctrines of the Gospel Student Manual, (2000).

6.

Joseph Smith taught: "It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God. … He was once a man like us; … God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself did"

Gospel Principles, (2011).

7.

"It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God, and to know that we may converse with him as one man converses with another, and that he was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself did."

Monday, March 04, 2013

"The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve have approved the incorporation of various adjustments in this new [2013] edition." (First Presidency Letter, March 1, 2013.) Below is a comparison of the Book of Moses chapter headings from the 1981 and 2013 editions of the Pearl of Great Price. The title of this post is taken from the newly revised heading for chapter 4.